


A Wayhaven Halloween

by kassandra_divina_trevelyan



Series: Wayhaven Monthly Contributions [2]
Category: The Wayhaven Chronicles (Interactive Fiction)
Genre: 31 Days Of Halloween, F/M, Flirting, Halloween, Halloween Costumes, Innuendo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-29
Updated: 2020-10-29
Packaged: 2021-03-08 23:15:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,060
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27274792
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kassandra_divina_trevelyan/pseuds/kassandra_divina_trevelyan
Summary: Halloween in Wayhaven holds a particular competitive tradition and Unit Bravo learns firsthand how competitive Roxy can be-
Relationships: Female Detective/Nathaniel "Nate" Sewell
Series: Wayhaven Monthly Contributions [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1998478
Kudos: 11





	A Wayhaven Halloween

Standing outside the Wayhaven Police Department, Unit Bravo eyed the presence of costume-clad children walking about since the sun was starting to set. It was Halloween tonight, and, for some reason, Rebecca instructed them to meet in the town. Four pairs of eyes followed the non-descript car pulling into the nearly abandoned parking lot, from which Rebecca stepped out. She locked the car and stuck her hands into her pockets, cutting across the lot to meet Unit Bravo.

“Glad to see you made it. Let’s grab Roxy before we begin.” Rebecca suggested, tilting her head toward the station’s double doors. She and Unit Bravo walked through the double doors and felt their jaws drop at the station's transformation.

“Woah! This place looks amazing!” Felix exclaimed, voicing the sentiment that the whole group likely felt when admiring the changes. Fog poured over the floor in a murky grey white, stemming from the back of the station. The overhead lights were shut off, replaced by antique candelabras strategically placed around the room to provide eerie lighting. The candles were black and glowed with yellow-green flickering flames dancing around the wicks, casting haunting shadows along the walls. The front desk boasted a red velvet trim, and cobwebs appeared in various sections of the room, devoid of spiders yet contributing to the atmosphere. It appeared more like the abandoned mansion on the edge of town than the police station. Standing at the front desk, Tina and Douglas wore costumes with Tina as a princess of some sort, and Douglas dressed as a- football player, maybe?

“Good evening, Officer Poname and Officer Friedman.” Rebecca greeted coolly, brushing back the bangs of her bob from her eyes.

“Evening, Agent Kingston!” Tina waved politely at Rebecca, spotting her first before noticing the guys of Unit Bravo trailing her. Honestly, Unit Bravo was never far behind when Rebecca showed up since that fateful day months ago.

“-And Unit Bravo,” Douglas interjected, scrambling to sit up ramrod straight and his eyes shining with admiration. Although Roxy ended up as the focus of his misplaced adoration, he did find space to fawn over Unit Bravo. Tina nodded, masking the uncomfortable grimace at Douglas’s eagerness to please Roxy and Unit Bravo.

“Good evening,” Nate remarked, gesturing around at the transformed precinct with an entertained twinkle in his eyes. “Do tell, did the holiday prompt the makeover?”

“Every year, Mayor Friedman encourages friendly competition between Wayhaven Fire and us on Halloween over who can deliver the best station makeover. For the past eight years, Wayhaven Fire has crushed us in a landslide victory because Captain Sung considers it a waste of time. However, he left Roxy in charge this year, and Roxy refused to allow another crushing defeat for us. She’s quite competitive when she wants to be.” Tina explained, fixing the little headband she wore with her costume.

“That she is,” Nate gushed, unable to stop his smile. From his tone, Tina guessed that things between her friend and the handsome agent were going well. Roxy hadn’t dished all the details, but she appeared visibly happier since the carnival.

“If I remember correctly, Roxy decided that we would participate this year and make a statement about how things were around her with her in charge. Wayhaven PD made sure to get shit done.” Tina puffed out her chest proudly, smiling, and she knew that Roxy’s take-charge attitude might win them a much-desired victory for Wayhaven PD. They could use it after eight years of losses and stick it to the hospital, which might participate for the first time.

“Well, the makeover might work-” Mason mused, reaching into his pocket for his cigarettes. It might add to the ambiance of the precinct’s “haunted” vibe. He casually nestled into the nearest corner and flicked the lighter on.

“How did you pull all this together?” Nate questioned, inquisitively studying some of the antique pieces with great fascination. His eyes jumped from the tall candelabras surrounding the room, and he felt somewhat nostalgic with everything.

“So, the transformation began early this morning. She, Verda, and I all came into the station bright and early. Roxy somehow managed to load all the supplies into the spare space of her poor hatchback at the crack of dawn, already on drink number three of that morning. We spent all morning setting up, and the station was “closed” during the afternoon until around an hour ago. That time was when we put together our costumes,” Tina informed, animatedly relaying the story through her hands waving about. Douglas had gone back to his phone game, leaving her to explain the story and their costumes. “Speaking of costumes, we picked out some good ones. Verda, who has the night off with his family, will be a mad scientist. I am Snow White, obviously. Douglas, here, is a zombie football player. And Roxy, hers is a surprise!” 

“As fascinating as this is,” Adam interrupted, earning a frown from Nate. He ignored his friend’s disappointment and maintained his stern, aloof demeanor. He would like to be back at the Warehouse, and the longer they waited, the longer that might take. “We came to talk with Roxy.”

“Oh, right! She’s in the back.” Tina nodded and glanced toward Roxy’s office. “Roxy, the first batch of kids will be coming in soon! Hurry up in there!” Tina yelled, cupping her hands around her mouth to amplify the sound, and Unit Bravo heard a light crash from the other room and a string of colorful language that defined Roxy.

“Shit- I’m coming!” Roxy yelped before her office door swung open, and she stepped out with a giant cauldron stuffed filled with candy. Douglas nearly fell out of his chair, his phone forgotten when Roxy entered the room, and Unit Bravo’s reactions weren’t much better. Mason gave a low wolf whistle, Felix bit back a comment when glancing over at Nate, Adam, and Rebecca couldn’t hide their shock, and Nate felt his jaw hit the floor with no way to pick it back up. 

Roxy’s blonde hair hid behind a startling red wig, her body accentuated by a low-cut and skin-tight red dress, and she even had the perfectly purple gloves belonging to Mrs. Jessica Rabbit. She glanced up from the cauldron and spotted Unit Bravo and her mother standing in the lobby of the station, gawking at her.

“Roxy, just what are you wearing?” Rebecca questioned, seemingly aghast by the provocative choice in attire. Roxy knew that laughing at her mother’s question might seem a tad inappropriate, but in what universe was she still some innocent or naïve young woman? When had she ever been above a good sexy Halloween costume? This was the one time of year she should get to have fun dressing up without judgment.

“A costume? Duh.” She nonchalantly replied, taking in how Adam refused to look in her direction and kept his gaze pointedly on the ground. She playfully rolled her eyes when placing the cauldron on the desk’s edge, ignoring how Douglas’ greedy eyes jumped to her cleavage. “I’m serious about winning this year and crushing the eight-year win streak for Wayhaven Fire. Tina helped me pick it out.”

“Thank God for Tina,” Mason remarked, largely teasing with his heavy flirting. He and Roxy were good enough friends, where she’d understand his comments to be teasing and that she’d probably appreciate them given her sense of humor. True to form, Roxy cracked a smirk that felt sultrier when she glanced over at Nate.

“Nate thinks you look amazing! Isn’t that right, Nate?” Felix exclaimed, tactfully nudging Nate with his elbow. Nate rubbed the back of his neck and stammered, rendered speechless at the sight of her. It was a miracle he could pull his jaw off the ground.

“You- Wow,” Nate whispered, his cheeks red. Roxy noticed how his pupils dilated when studying the form-fitting dress clinging to her curves or the eyeful of leg peeping out from the slit. She boldly channeled the 80s femme fatale that was Jessica Rabbit without shame, and she found the decision to be a beneficial one.

“I didn’t realize that you guys were coming down to the station. Is something the matter, or did you miss me?” Roxy inquired, throwing a subtle wink Nate’s way for the latter guess. Mason snickered at how Nate’s posture shifted.

“We came to speak with you, but you clearly seem busy. I didn’t take you as the costume type.” Adam commented, as grumpy as ever. Roxy hmphed, unimpressed with his cynicism. She encouraged a steady dose of sarcasm on the average basis, but she had enough of a heart to celebrate and indulge herself once in a while. 

“Ah, Adam- Where’s your Halloween spirit?” Roxy cheekily prodded, poking him in the arm to his relentless scowl. She loved pushing his buttons, and the two bickered like siblings, the kind she never had. She gave a cheesy little twirl, hiking her skirt not parted by the thigh-high slit. “Halloween has always been my favorite celebration, and I think I deserve to enjoy some mundane fun.”

“The matter is not pressing. We can discuss this another time-” Rebecca started to turn around when the double doors pushed open, revealing Mayor Friedman and a small assortment of townspeople. Those following him were members of the committee that randomly got chosen each year to judge who would win the trophy. Mayor Friedman appeared in the middle of a discussion but lost his train of thought when entering the room. Gasps came from the committee, and Roxy walked forward, drawing their eyes onto her.

“Welcome Mayor and the Committee. I hope that Wayhaven PD has surpassed your greatest expectations,” Roxy greeted them with open arms, slipping into her effortless charisma. Roxy ran on sarcasm, but she knew how to charm the pants off people when she needed to. It was the most dangerous weapon in her arsenal.

“Yes, this is quite the display, Detective Kingston-” Mayor Friedman mumbled while the committee dispersed around the room to take in the marvelous work put in. His eyes jumped past Roxy, and spotted Rebecca standing behind her, zeroing in on her. He pushed back his hair, wet his lips, and ignored the uncomfortable expression of his son when noticing his dad’s antics. “Ah, Rebecca! I didn’t realize you were here!”

“Agent Kingston, Mayor. My unit and I came to have a chat with my daughter.” Rebecca corrected, her face not betraying the discomfort of dealing with the Mayor’s advances. She glanced at Roxy from over his shoulder, and Roxy resisted the urge to cause a scene. Her mother’s expression told her that she was fine and had it handled.

Seeing the committee distracted, Nate used the opportunity to slip over to Roxy’s side and reached out to her, brushing their fingers together. Roxy, receptive to his touch, reached out and curled their pinkies together. Nate’s lips twitched into a smile at the subtle yet meaningful contact of their fingers together. 

“I don’t think I can fully explain to you how amazing I think you look. You are breathtaking.” Nate whispered, leaning his head down, so his lips rested along the shell of her ear. His warm breath sent shivers down Roxy’s spine, and her eyes fluttered closed, a slew of ill-timed musings filtering in. Oh, being on the job wasn’t as strong of a deterrent as Roxy would like.

“Mmmm, is that so?” Roxy questioned, rather rhetorically.

“As much as I love the costume on you, I have the suspicion that I would like it much better off.” Nate nonchalantly mused, drawing a grin from Roxy. Well, that sounded like an offer she would be hard-pressed to refuse. She planned to reply to his forward comment when the Mayor cleared his throat and remembered that his job was to inspect the room, not flirt with Rebecca.

“Ah, we’ll be back after examining the fire station to declare the winner.” Mayor Friedman promised, taking a cursory look of the station and gave an impressed nod. He hurried out the door with the committee reluctantly trailing behind him. With their departure, Roxy turned to face Nate with a shimmer of mischief in her eyes. She was up to no good-

“Now, where were we?” Roxy purred, tilting Nate’s chin toward her. He wrapped his arms low around her hips, hands firm, and sitting dangerously low. Nate chuckled huskily, glancing up briefly to observe the encouraging grins of Mason and Felix. Adam looked too defeated to correct him and resorted to mumbling something under his breath.

“Talking about how gorgeous you look, of course.” Nate smoothly remarked, allowing him eyes to wander down the dress. Red was most _definitely_ Roxy’s color.

“Why Agent Sewell, you are quite the charmer.” Roxy teasingly gasped, fluttering her false lashes at him. Nate’s hands pushed her even closer, enveloping her in the space of his arms and his strong touch. When he dipped her back ever so slightly, Roxy felt thoroughly wooed. Her heart gave that telling pitter-patter, and she knew Nate felt it too. He, ignoring the others' watching eyes in the room, pressed a little closer and dipped his head down to where his and Roxy’s lips could meet. The urge for a kiss felt so right, but it sputtered out when the doors opened again. Nate respectfully stepped back, reminding himself that Roxy was on the job still. 

“Trick or Treat!” A small group of children, likely no older than ten, entered the station in a tightly-packed cluster and buckets in hand. There were princesses, ghosts, and animals as a few of the costumes that Roxy identified. She hustled over to the candy cauldron and put on a smile.

“Okay, kids! Single file line, please!” She commanded politely and, much to the surprise of Unit Bravo, the kids lined up in an orderly fashion. She knelt down with her cauldron and handed each kid a hefty handful of candy to their well-mannered yet excited thank-yous. With each kid, she sparked conversation and compliments on their costumes. She seemed far from no-nonsense or sarcastic; Roxy held a soft spot for kids, and it showed.

Off to the side, Unit Bravo and Rebecca watched on while Roxy passed out candy, giving high-fives and hugs to the eager children. Many of the voices were calling her Detective Roxy, and she got a few compliments about how pretty she looked. But all their eyes were on Roxy, who appeared worlds apart from how they usually saw her.

“I’ve never seen her so-” Felix stammered, taken aback. It was almost like someone else was in Roxy’s body-

“Sweet?” Adam offered, unable to look away from Roxy. Seeing her giggling and smiling with the human children was the most terrifying, bewildering sight of the entire night—and Halloween was supposedly dedicated to haunting displays.

“Yeah. It’s weirding me out a little.” Felix nodded, earning a sharp elbow to his ribs from Nate. He held his hands up defensively under Nate’s narrowed eyes that warned him to be more cognizant of what he was saying. 

“She’s just like her father in that way,” Rebecca whispered, and Unit Bravo felt the regret muddling the mood between the five from Rebecca’s connection. Although she and Roxy looked alike, no one could deny that Roxy was Rook’s daughter. She and Brendan shared more than their eyes, namely a sense of mischief and a fondness for kids. Nate reached out, and sympathetically laid his hand on Rebecca’s shoulder, wanting to ease her pain. 

Unaware that she was getting discussed, Roxy managed to get about halfway through the line of children waiting for their turn with her. The next in line was a little girl with double braids, a sparkly tutu, and a flimsy pair of butterfly wings to make a magical fairy costume.

“What are they dressed as?” The little girl asked, glancing around Roxy’s shoulder, and Roxy turned slightly to see that she was talking about Unit Bravo. Somehow, Roxy figured that telling the little one that her friends didn’t dress up as anything would ruin the spirit of the evening. So, she glanced over their decision to wear dark coats to deal with the colder evening temperatures and decided to spin a little tale.

“They’re dressed as secret agents. Shhhhhh, don’t tell anyone, okay?” Roxy whispered and winked at the little girl, causing her to wiggle excitedly. She nodded quickly, more excited about being in on the secret than the prospect of candy.

“That’s so cool!” She squealed, and Roxy chuckled, dropping the candy in her bucket. Technically, nothing she described was inaccurate. She watched the girl skip off, her butterfly wings shuttering with every bouncing step. As the kids happily exited through the door with their parents, Mayor Friedman returned through the double doors with Xanthe and Michael behind him to represent Wayhaven Fire. Roxy didn’t expect him back so soon, and she, brushing out the plunging neckline of her costume, met them halfway. In the Mayor’s hands, he held the coveted golden pumpkin—the trophy for the winner. Really it was a plastic pumpkin spray-painted gold, but that hardly mattered.

“Ah, Detective Kingston! I have made my decision.” Mayor Friedman said, beaming while holding up the trophy to catch all eyes onto him. Mayor Friedman could never resist the opportunity to showboat and float attention onto himself. While he built the suspense, the members of Wayhaven Fire marveled at the precinct’s design and the effort made by Roxy and the others. Part of them expected another shoo-in victory, but she gave them a run for their money. Roxy laced her hands together, keeping her face neutral and in-character somewhat. “The council and I have decided that this year’s winner of the Halloween contest to be… Wayhaven PD!”

Those gathered around the room erupted into cheers and whistles, none more so than the firefighters. They gladly admitted that Roxy brought a good fight and won the battle fair and square, knowing that they would need to up their game next time. Roxy smirked and graciously accepted the trophy from Mayor Friedman with a nod.

“Thank you, Mayor. We’ll accept the title with pride.” Roxy remarked, taking the trophy with pride. She shot Tina and Unit Bravo a wink, feeling quite proud of her efforts and their contributions.


End file.
